Flooded Argentine town resurfaces as tourist attraction

The abandoned village of Epecuen in Argentina has become an unexpected tourist attraction as it has started to re-emerge after spending 25 years under water. The Argentinean ‘Atlantis’ was inundated with water in 1985 after a lake nearby the town burst its banks.

The town of Epecuen, which is located 340 miles south of the capital Buenos Aires, was once a thriving lakeside resort. Residents were forced to abandon the village when rising water levels eventually broke through an earthen dam on the 10th November 1985, submerging the town with saltwater. By 1993 half of the once bustling village was covered in at least 10 meters of water.

Water levels covering the town began to drop in 2009, due to climates changes, slowly revealing the remains of Epecuen. Now much of the town’s ruins are visible and as a result the once-thriving town has reclaimed its standing as a popular tourist attraction.

In an unlikely twist to the tragic story the town has now turned into a must-see attraction according to Pablo Novak, Epecuen’s only remaining resident. “Whoever passes nearby cannot go without coming to visit here,” said Novak, 82. “It's getting more people to the area, as they come to see the ruins.”Local tourism authorities are now hoping to secure heritage status for the derelict town to protect the area and preserve the remains. It is hoped the Argentine town will become as popular as other ruins such as the historic Pompeii in Italy, which attracts thousands of visitors flying to Italy year on year.